Wood River times. [volume] (Hailey, Idaho) 1882-1915, 1887-07-14
SPORTING GOSSIP.
Who Will Succeed Malcolm w. Ford a.
Our Champion Amateur Athletei
special Correspondencel

Who Will Succeed Malcolm w. Ford a.
Our Champion Amateur Athletei
Especial Correspondence
NEW YoRK, July g.
Now that Malcolm w. Ford has ended the
squabbling about his standing as an amateur
by resigning his membership in the New York
Athletic club the question which is the all
absorbing one among the amateur athletes is
as to who will be bis successor as all round
champion athlete. Most persons incline tc
the belief that Mike O'Sullivan, Of the Pas
time Athletic club, will be the man upon
whose shoulders Ford's mantle will descend.
but am of the opinion that Aleck Jordan /.
now the best all round amateur athlete in
this country. OF course l do not mean to as
sert that one competition will settle the cues
ton of supremacy between these men, but
do predict that at the end Of the present sea-
son Jordan will have a greater number OF
wins to his credit than O'Sullivan will have
to his x*x
Jack Gibson wants to run either Harry
Bethune or H. M. johnson, or both Of them,
at u.s. 100 or $50 yards for 81 900 a side, or 6
sweepstakes OF that amount each, with the
gate money added. If such a race could b,
brought off, at the proper place, the value o.
the stake to the winner would certainly MOI
be less than IS 900, as the three best sprint
Sio III lhie SOuHII uOl III ULe NOIlu, cOul(
not fail to attract an immense crowd. Ii
NJ. K. Kittleman, Exiting Kit" could b.
also induced to enter it would make tn,
event doubly interesting, and would at tn,
same time render the picking out of the
probable winner additionally difficult, as i,
would not be at all remarkable if "Kit'
should be the first to breast the tape.
a%* .1s
Many persons wonuer why it is that with
UGH an aggregation of baseball sluggers as
possessed by Brooklyn, to which may also
be added Mt least two very strong batteries,
hey should hold no better position in the
ace for the American association pennant
han they do l have very closely watched
he playing of "Byrne's Babies" lately, and
ny solution of the problem is, feel conf
lent, the only one possible 1t is this: They
ave an excellent team of fislders and bat
ers, but their base running is so execrable
hat it would cause "Baby" Arson, if he
were captain of the team, to use enough
>aths in one single game to lose permanently
he patronage of the ministerial contingent
Phillips, for instance, who is an excellent
lrst baseman, runs bases worse than the
,verage schoolboy, and Swartwood is little
letter. have never even heard of Phillips
having the temerity to attempt to steal a
base, but l saw Swartwood try it the other
lay in game with the Athletics. He came
numbering along toward the home plate from
bird, and was Of course put out. His feeble
attempt at a slide was something excruciat-
ngly funny. McTamany is one Of the best
enter fielders, and a hard, but not safe
litter, as he almost invariably strikes into
he air, and not infrequently strikes out. BY
long odds and beyond all cavil the best Of
the Brooklyn players is George Smith, their
magnificent short stop. George is not a
rand stand player, and consequently once in
while makes an error, but his errors are
very seldom serious, and his contribution to
he work of demolishing the other side is
,lways abnormally large.
-.
Frank Howson, one of the "bad weights"
from 140 to l45), is the latest English i'm
,ortation. had very interesting CONVEX
alton with him in regard to "Toff" Wall, the
English middle weight champion. He says
that, all reports to the contrary notwith-
Standing, Wall did knock Jem Smith down
in a recent set to, and in fact bested him. He
says that Smith is a good man. but would
have no chance of winning against John L.
He thinks, however, that he will demolish
Jake Kilrain should they ever come together.
AS for himself, l1owson is open to fight any
middle weight in the country, bar none, for
purse. He recently stopped Bill England
in two rounds with gloves. He will be given
trial against Jimmy Carroll shortly and II
he comes up to expectations he will be backed
against Reagan, Henry, Files or Chambers
latest Importation. OcTY COHEN.